Every day is the same for Lan Zhan. His body has acclimatised to the time difference in Suzhou compared to London now, so he opens his eyes at five am, regardless of whether he's managed to sleep or not. He's realised that even if he hasn't, he must force his body to relax for the hours that it must lay flat, and that's where his years of meditating come in useful.

He exercises because it's part of his normal routine, and at this time, sticking to a known schedule keeps him from losing his mind. If he can trick all the components that make up his own self that everything is alright, maybe he can make it come true through osmosis, because everything is most certainly NOT alright.

For six days now, he and XiChen have managed to spend most of the hours with their Uncle, however for XiChen, he still has a cutthroat business to run, and any sign of weakness, any absence is like letting a drop of blood fall into a pool full of starving piranhas. So it falls to Lan Zhan to make sure he's there in that cold impersonal hospital room, smelling of disinfectant and medicine, talking to the doctors and nurses, the specialists and the physical therapists, asking them for their opinion about this most precious of people.

However it was growing up under their strict Uncle and his endless rules, the truth is, their Uncle had done his best and that was all they could ask of him.

Every morning and every evening, Lan Zhan asks whoever is there to give him their honest opinion: will Shufu get better?

The frustrating thing is, they don't know either. It's the uncertainty that is driving Lan Zhan up the wall. And because no one actually knows, they waffle on like a student out of their depth, writing unnecessary words to flesh out an essay and it's a tactic that's been done to death. The health professionals all tell him that these sorts of cases are unpredictable, that each person is different and therefore, will respond to treatment individually, that they cannot provide an accurate diagnosis until they can talk to him. Which is a laugh ironically, because no one wants to wake him up prematurely in case they end up harming him further.

Then, other health issues complicate matters; his blood pressure fluctuates worse than a business shares index, and that messes with his body temperature. It is difficult to spend day in, day out, looking at his uncle's too pale face, cataloguing both the old and new lines that crease his paper-thin skin, and come to the horrifying realisation that he's not the strong immovable pillar of rigidity he once was. That time listens to no one, gradually eating away the minutes, hours and days from a person's life like a deadly hungry caterpillar with no thoughts or compunction to do anything else.

Things are not looking good.

The only moments of joy are when Lan Zhan receives messages from either Mianmian, or Wei Ying. Given the time difference and because the ones back in London don't know when they would be free enough to text, since there's no certainty about when the customers would give them a break, Lan Zhan keeps a vigilant eye on his phone, checking whenever he gets a notification.

These messages are his lifeline, a thread to keep him grounded, to hope that things will get better.

One such time is after he and XiChen return from the hospital after yet another gruelling day, both of them are too tired to cook, so they order in. While they're waiting on their food, Lan Zhan gets several texts in quick succession, and he knows that there can only be one person who does this.

Wei Ying: Good morning Lan Zhan! Well, I suppose it's evening there, so good evening! What's the update on Uncle? Any changes?🤞💪🤸

The emojis make him laugh, and inadvertently release the tight ball of tension in his gut. Lan Zhan had no idea he was feeling so stressed. There's no way his uncle is doing cartwheels, not even when he was hale and hearty.

Lan Zhan: Good morning, Wei Ying. Still no change but his doctor says his vital signs have improved. They're talking about waking him soon if his coma does not recede by itself.

Wei Ying: *fighting! Jiayou! I hope he gets better soon! Mianmian and I are praying for him. And at the risk of distracting you a bit further, you should know that Mianmian and I have been brainstorming and we're planning a surprise for you when you return. But I'm in a bit of a dilemma. 🤔

Lan Zhan: Why?

Wei Ying: Lan Zhaaaan! How can I tell you what it is? Then it won't be a surprise anymore, will it?

Lan Zhan can hear the way Wei Ying's voice would sound if he were here now, and he sighs heavily, wishing it were true. He really misses Wei Ying, more than he ever thought he would. It's like someone placed a Wei Ying shaped cookie cutter over his heart and now it just feels empty.

Lan Zhan: Wei Ying is clever enough to talk around the problem without giving away spoilers. Do your best.

Wei Ying: Shameless Gege! Who's the incorrigible rogue now?

Lan Zhan: I miss you.

Wei Ying: Oh my Lan Zhan, I'm missing you too much, too!! Why do you think Mianmian and I have been putting our heads together?? Distraction is the key, so let's talk about your surprise!

Lan Zhan: Okay. What do you need from me?

Wei Ying: Permission to access something from your Mama's laptop. But I promise to not share anything personal from it.

Lan Zhan is already typing out his answer.

Lan Zhan: Wei Ying, I trust you. You know the password. And I know you could have just done what you wanted anyway, but look, you asked me first.

Wei Ying: Lan Er-Gege, you're the best! I can't wait to show you what we're planning, oh, and I almost forgot! Can I hire someone?

Lan Zhan: For what purpose? Are you and Mianmian too busy to cope?

Wei Ying: Well, yes to the we're busy part, but it's actually for something else. I've explained to the person that it would be only for around three months, since we're trying to clear the stock, and let's face it, LZ, I don't think we'll be done by then.

Lan Zhan spends a few minutes thinking about this. Wei Ying obviously wants to hire this person, that's the main thing. Plus, he's open about the length of time Lan Zhan would have to pay them. And Wei Ying is right: three short months is nowhere near sufficient time to clear his mother's stock.

Wei Ying: You can let me know, and no pressure! Even if it's a no.

Lan Zhan: I cannot say no to you.

Wei Ying: Lan Zhaaaaaaaan!!! You can't say something like that! Not when I'm too far away to hug you about it! 🤗😭😭😭😭 but seriously, is that a yes?

Lan Zhan: Yes.

Wei Ying: Thank God, because we've got to go open up now. When I come back to my phone, I want details, LZ, DETAILS! I wanna know what you had for dinner, I wanna know how you feel, and I'm wishing you sweet dreams in case we're too busy when you say goodnight.

Lan Zhan: Okay.

He can't help the little huff of laughter that spills from his mouth at Wei Ying's contagious enthusiasm.

"Who are you messaging, Didi?" XiChen breaks into his thoughts with the subtleties of a wrecking ball.

Lan Zhan glances up, mildly irritated at the sudden interruption only to find a teasing smile on his older brother's face.

Oh no...

"Wei Ying." There's no point hiding anything from him, since he already knows about the firecracker of a man in Lan Zhan's life.

"And how is he? How's Mama's shop? I hope everything is alright in London."

"Mn." Lan Zhan's sixth sense is all tingly, warning him of an imminent interrogation. Fine. Then, he's going to say as little as possible. That will show Gege.

XiChen bares his teeth in what would be a friendly smile to outsiders, to anyone meeting him for the first time. But Lan Zhan knows way better than any of those idiots. He's out for blood, and in this case, Lan Zhan is the target. XiChen is coming after him with the honing skills perfected over all twenty six years of their lives knowing each other.

"Do you think your initial estimate of six months is enough?" XiChen starts out as innocently as a newborn lamb.

"No. That's what Wei Ying mentioned."

"How much have you cleared so far?"

"In these past three months, not even half of what was originally there. But Mama also has a warehouse storage of materials that we still need to go and check. Also," belatedly, Lan Zhan remembers their mother's messages on her laptop. "I was away from London when I had to divert my plans and come straight here, but we found Mama's laptop." He cannot hide this from his brother, not anything to do with their mother. He has just as much right to see and hear anything their mother left behind for them.

"Oh, really? What's on there?" XiChen leans forward, even more interested.

"So far, we've found pictures that either she took, or her customers gave her."

"Twenty years is a long time to spend anywhere," XiChen says softly, his face pensive. "I bet her customers miss her, too."

Despite Lan Zhan's initial reluctance to share anything extra with him, he finds himself telling XiChen all about their mother's strange bartering system, the money he found in the safe that needed to be changed into new notes, and then the personal photos, the ones that were labelled by year and therefore, probably contained images of the three of them. Their father was notoriously absent from their lives, and after Madam Lan left their homeland and moved to the UK, her photos would be unlikely to feature their Uncle.

"Phew!" XiChen exclaims after Lan Zhan goes quiet.

They are interrupted by the arrival of their food, and the next few minutes are spent organising themselves around the little coffee table in the living room. It's not as formal as going to the dining room and sitting in silence while they eat. Lan Zhan is surprised to find himself happier that they're both trying to get over the strictness of their upbringing by letting go of rules that don't make sense; however, neither are willing to talk during the actual consumption of food.

XiChen makes them tea after they both clean up, and Lan Zhan feels quite relaxed, which is a huge mistake. After all, XiChen isn't done with him yet.

"Are you just friends with Wei Ying? How do you feel about him?" XiChen is unashamedly studying him over the rim of his mug, clasping it with both hands.

"I like him." That's not a lie.

"How much?"

Lan Zhan squirms in his seat, unwilling to answer that. But apparently, it's enough to have XiChen clucking sympathetically.

"Didi...then, have you said anything to him?"

Lan Zhan looks away, shaking his head.

"You know, Didi, there's nothing wrong with being happy for yourself, even if it's for a little while. Is there a reason why you're reluctant? Does he not feel the same?"

Lan Zhan ponders this to himself. He's thought of Wei Ying in a romantic way, countless of times but in his heart of hearts, the commonsensical thoughts win over what he wants, every single time.

"Ge, I'm not going to be there for long."

"But you said it yourself: you don't think three months is long enough."

"Even so, I would not in good conscience start something with an expiry date."

"Who says it has to expire? Why can't you stay in London? Or if that's not doable, then why can't Wei Ying come here? What's holding you both back?"

But Lan Zhan is already shaking his head. "I cannot uproot him from his life there. That would make me no better than our father."

XiChen looks like he's been slapped, and Lan Zhan immediately feels bad for bringing up the terrible example of a human being.

"Sorry, Ge. I meant that, Wei Ying has his life over there. Uncle Four, Wen Popo, A-Yuan, Wen Qing and Wen Ning. Over here, he would only know you and me. And Mianmian."

"Sorry for pushing you on this, Didi, but I think I've never seen you look as happy as you were just now, replying to his messages. Something like that sort of a connection, well, you'd be a fool to give it up without giving it a chance, that's all I'm saying. Contrary to popular old people's opinions, we're allowed to make ourselves happy. Otherwise, what's the point in living if we're going to do a bad job of it?" XiChen stands up and collects their empty mugs. "If Wei Ying doesn't want to live here in Suzhou, then why don't you think seriously about relocating to the UK? Is it really so bad? And who says that even if you do, you can't come over for extended periods? You both could spend half a year in both places, and that might be a good solution. Just think about it, is all I'm saying." He transfers both mugs to his left hand and ruffles Lan Zhan's hair with his right, a gesture their mother used to do to both of them.

Lan Zhan watches him leave, lost in thought. It's a long time afterwards that he rises to go to his own bedroom, heavy with the fatigue of the day and now with XiChen's insinuations weighing on his mind, it takes a long time for sleep to come.

****************

Wei Ying does a double take when he sees Mianmian this morning.

"Oh. My. God. That's it! We're getting you tested!"

She cackles, giving him a twirl. "It's called fashion, you twerp!"

"Fashion could smack your face hard, and you still wouldn't know what hit you! Where the fuck are you getting these clothes from? Landfill?" Wei Ying cannot understand her inspiration with this outfit today.

Mianmian is wearing a floral dress, black background with huge red poppies all over it. The dress by itself, reaching her knees, would be fine. He could even go so far as to call it pretty in a squint-and-you'll-miss-it kind of way. But! It's what she paired it with that's making him second guess the quality of her vision. Parrot green tights and a hot pink chiffon floaty jacket on top feel both unnecessary and an eyesore.

"Listen, there's no law against wearing whatever you want to," she retorts, standing back to let Wei Ying open the shutters of Blue's Fabrics.

"There should be," Wei Ying mutters with feeling, under his breath.

But as soon as the door is unlocked and the combined smell of fabric dyes and cottons and silks hits him, Wei Ying remembers why he wanted Lan Zhan's permission to use his mother's laptop. Mianmian might not have a bone of good taste in her body, but even he has to admit that she's come up with some cracking ideas in the last few days. Wei Ying felt sorry for her in the evenings, especially with her fiance returning to China, he didn't want her to wallow in .... anything (except maybe that Zebra print jumpsuit), so he took her home with him to meet the Wens.

They were welcoming as usual, and A-Yuan was fascinated by all the colours she kept wearing.

But Wei Ying had mentioned to Mianmian a few days ago, remembering the photos on Madam Lan's laptop, and suggesting they buy a cork board and print them out to stick them on. Mianmian had asked him how many there were, and when they checked, they numbered in the thousands.

"I've got a better idea," she had exclaimed, taking the laptop back to Mr. Rodney again.

She returns just when it starts to get busy, and Wei Ying forgets all about it until the next morning, when Mr. Rodney pops in.

"Jus' come over, I need a pair o' strong arms," he winks at them.

Wei Ying doesn't stop Mianmian from going, she's so eager, and when she comes back, it's with reels of fishing tackle and a box.

"Once he heard what I wanted to do, he gave me this for free. Now all we need are some pegs."

As soon as Wei Ying hears that, he knows exactly what Mianmian intends to do, and he orders the pegs online from one of Uncle Four's suppliers. That evening, they stay behind and hang the fishing tackle up, ready for when they get the pegs, and then they'll be able to hang up all or most of the pictures in Mama Lan's collection.

The next morning, armed with a tall stepladder, Wei Ying and Mianmian put up as many pictures as they could. They put each Polaroid back to back and hung them up in between serving customers, though Wei Ying absolutely couldn't believe it when some of them asked if the shop stocked what Mianmian was wearing. The next chance she got, she was sticking her tongue out at him in petty revenge.

*******************

Time to put plan B in action. Lan Zhan doesn't actually know about this part but Mianmian is confident he'll approve.

When the next Wednesday rolls around, Wei Ying and Mianmian clear a space in the centre of the shop and place as many chairs as they could find in a circle. Mianmian had found out that Wen Popo could crochet, and said she wanted to learn. Coincidentally, it was the same night that Xue Yang had dropped in, and Wei Ying was able to give him the good news that Lan Zhan had okayed his employment for the next foreseeable three months, even if Wei Ying privately thought they had enough stock for at least a year.

That's why everyone is huddled around Wen Popo now, trying to learn the skills of working with crochet hooks and yarn. Wei Ying already knows how to do this, so he's put himself in charge of refreshments, using his newly acquired salary to good use. Then he makes a video of the latest developments in Lan Zhan's shop and sends it to him, making sure to capture the fairy lights they've entwined around the gorgeous photos hanging from the ceiling.

Lan Zhan might be asleep now, but he can watch the video and respond in the morning.

The evening is a rip-roaring success and more than the expected turn out come along full of curiosity, making Wei Ying super proud of his friend for roping in the community. If this continues, they could make Mama Lan's dreams stay alive, for however long Lan Zhan wants to stay here.

The class goes from one hour to two, and most of it is just groups of people catching up with each other, sharing good fortunes and bad circumstances, and the mood is pretty upbeat and fun. Even Song Lan, Xiao XingChen and A-Qing pop by later to see what's going on.

"Are you planning on teaching anything else?" A woman in her late thirties asks them, just as they're winding down for the night.

"Like what?" Wei Ying asks her, coming to stand between Mianmian and Xue Yang with an arm thrown casually over their shoulders.

"Well, I was hoping for some sewing tips. I have a machine but it hasn't worked since it spluttered and died a noisy death a few years back. But if I managed to get it fixed, then I wouldn't mind learning the basics again."

"Like a refresher course?" Xue Yang inquires, staring at Wei Ying.

"What, you want me to teach?" Wei Ying gasps at him.

"I don't see anyone else qualified to do it," the naughty teenager smirks.

"I dunno...I'd want to talk to Lan Zhan first," Wei Ying deflects.

"Then here, this is my number. Call me if you decide to do it," she urges, and then leaves.

Wei Ying gets knowing looks from all his friends and he ignores every one of them. He'll talk to Lan Zhan first, before he does anything else.

****************

A/N

Dear Beautiful Readers,

My sincerest apologies for starting this in July and then not coming back to it in so many months. But hopefully we'll be able to finish it very soon. I also can't believe it's January already and I've promised you guys Book 11, so that's also happening, as well as my actual holiday next week when I fly out to meet my Bestie in the States.

Happy New Year to all of you and I wish you lots of chocolate and happiness and peace for the future.

All my love,
Charlie

🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫🍫